1. What is Gear Ratio?

The gear ratio is the ratio of the number of teeth between two meshing gears. For a three-gear system, the overall ratio is the product of the ratios between each pair of meshing gears.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the gear ratio formula for three gears:

Where:

• \( \text{Teeth}_1 \) — Number of teeth on the first (driving) gear
• \( \text{Teeth}_2 \) — Number of teeth on the middle (idler) gear
• \( \text{Teeth}_3 \) — Number of teeth on the last (driven) gear

Explanation: The first fraction calculates the ratio between the first two gears, and the second fraction calculates the ratio between the second and third gears. The overall ratio is the product of these two ratios.

3. Importance of Gear Ratio Calculation

Details: Gear ratio determines the relationship between input and output speed and torque in a gear system. It's crucial for designing mechanical systems with specific speed and power requirements.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the number of teeth for each gear (must be positive integers). The calculator will compute the overall gear ratio for the three-gear system.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Does the middle gear affect the final ratio?
A: Surprisingly no - the middle gear cancels out in the calculation, so the final ratio depends only on the first and last gears.

Q2: What is the purpose of the middle gear then?
A: The middle gear changes the direction of rotation without affecting the speed ratio between input and output.

Q3: What does a gear ratio of 2:1 mean?
A: It means the output gear rotates half as fast as the input gear but with twice the torque.

Q4: Can I use this for more than 3 gears?
A: For systems with more gears, you would multiply all the individual gear ratios together.

Q5: What's the difference between gear ratio and velocity ratio?
A: For ideal gears without slip, they are the same. Gear ratio is based on tooth count while velocity ratio is based on actual rotational speeds.